Geometrical patterns, mural as a stained glass, flags of countries, ethnic groups, regions, or people looking for the simplest solutions – these are the projects proposed by the artists of the eighth and last edition of Monumental Art Festival in Gdansk Zaspa. City Centre Institute encourages to visit Zaspa in the summer and take part in walks with Local Guides, especially between June 27 and July 8, when we’re going to see artists from Poland and Argentina working on festival murals.

At this year’s edition of Monumental Art Festival four new works will be created relating to curator’s, Piotr Szwabe, idea Oczekiwanie/Waiting. Projects were prepared by two Argentinian artists: Jorge Pomar, David Peroni, and Polish authors: Kamil Kuzko, and trio which works together: Dariusz Milczarek, Jan Podgórski and Tomasz Prymon from Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. After the vernissage Monumental Art Collection will altogether count 58 murals.

In his works Jorge Pomara (Argentina) employs national flags both these which are well-known and flags the existence we aren’t even aware of.

– The concept behind this work is the construction of a big structure to reach the sun, like
a ladder you use at home to fix a lamp in the ceiling. The flags contain a sun as an identity element, sometimes symbolized with a circle or a round geometric shape. – says Pomar.

Some flags are popular but just a few people know what is the flag of Kiribati country for example. The countries represented are 25 in total: Bangladesh, Japan, Uruguay, Rwanda, Kiribati, Argentina, Macedonia, Antigua and Barbuda, Niger, Taiwan, Namibia, Malawi, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tibet, Philippines, Nepal Australian Aboriginal Flag, Ecuador, Biafra, Kurdistan, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Malaysia and Poland. A big sun will be painted in the top of the building. His work will be created at ul. Pilotów 17.

Our second Argentinian artist, David Peroni aims, by the means of geometry, to explore the patterns of growth in nature. He treats buildings as large trees in urban forests.

– The purpose of this project is to reflect a living trunk with a chromatic coexistence.
A growth in space, from earth to heaven. A homage paid to nature. Colors, warm and cold, are presented as a metaphor of the Polish climate. It is important that this living work dialogues with the space where it grows. Geometric shapes are based on fractals that shape every single piece of life that grows on Planet Earth and in the Universe. – comments Petroni. His work will be created at ul. Pilotów 14.

We will be able to admire Kamil Kuzko’s (Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków) work at ul. Skarżyńskieo 12. His project refers to the stained glass technique, which hasn’t appeared at Monumental Art Collection in Zaspa yet.

– I based “Stained glass structure” on hexagonal pattern, which refers directly to urban plans of Stefan Grochowski and Roman Horodyński, creators of the estate founding. Horizontal and vertical divisions in the composition relate to architectural divisions. The project takes into account the tree stand, which is located next to the wall, and it influences the colours and height of particular elements. For most time of the year (spring-autumn) mural is supposed to merge with space, “glitter”, rather than dazzle. Orange, which appears on the carriage, will be the only strong element – says Kuzko.

Last mural won’t be created on the whole wall, but unusually, on its faultline at ul. Pilotów 20D. The project of Dariusz Milczarek, Jan Podgórski and Tomasz Prymon refers to two Milczarek’s paintingsW poszukiwaniu najprostszego rozwiązania/In Search of the Simplest Solution andNierozwiązywalne/Unsolvable.

– Mural shows a figure who multiplies his image by means of light. The figure has no facial features and his next clones have no personal characteristics. The composition has an open structure, we can expect that the process will continue on and on, and there are new images being created behind the frame. This view attempts to serve as the reflexion upon our lives in a time of Internet. While using social media we create our own reproductions and we expect to be assumed instead – here I am. We post the copies of our virtual self and wait to get some attention – comments Dariusz Milczarek.

The vernissage of new projects will take place on July 8 at 18:00 in Zaspa (starting point: ul. Skarżyńskiego 12d). The participants will march through the route where festival murals were created. They will be entertained by live music and the artists talking about their works. Finally, everyone is invited for a picnic and dance at Klub Plama GAK, where Zespół Cieśni
i Tańca will perform at the rooftop.

Works of Monumental Art Festival, Gdansk School of Mural and other murals were executed in 1997 to commemorate 1,000 years of Gdańsk and they compose an integrated gallery of mural art created by many respected artists. Piotr Szwabe is the curator of Monumental Art Festival, moreover, he paints and creates murals himself.

Admission to Zaspa and Monumental Art Collection is free of charge and the place can be visited with Local Guides in the summer.

We encourage to visit Zaspa during Festival where you can observe the artists while they are working! You can find useful maps and information about murals here: http://muralegdanskzaspa.pl/en/.

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